


i'm not ready

by Vanilla_Owns_Chocolate



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Animal Death, Blood and Gore, Character Study, inspired by 'i'm not ready - swiftpaw map' by sagutoyas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:06:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21975562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanilla_Owns_Chocolate/pseuds/Vanilla_Owns_Chocolate
Summary: Swiftpaw starts to doubt whether or not he's ready to become a warrior.
Kudos: 11





	i'm not ready

He's been slacking off in his training lately, as much as he hates to admit it. Of course, Longtail notices. He always notices whenever something's wrong with his apprentice.

"Stop," Longtail orders, and Swiftpaw obeys, looking shamefully down at his paws. "What's gotten into you? You're fighting like a kit today."

Swiftpaw shuffles his feet sulkily, casting a scornful glance back in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. "I dunno," he mutters, "I still think I'm doing better than that kittypet."

He's talking about Cloudpaw, of course, but a tiny part of his brain is also thinking about Fireheart. He knows, deep down, that it's not really his fault, but somehow he partially blames the orange tom for what's going on. If he hadn't brought his stupid kittypet kin into ThunderClan, Swiftpaw probably would have been a warrior by now. At least, that's what Longtail tells him.

Longtail sighs and growls in the direction Swiftpaw is looking, wrapping his tail around his apprentice. "Don't worry about him. He's still an apprentice like you."

Swiftpaw nods solemnly. "I know."

Longtail's ears twitch, and it's obvious he's not satisfied. "Don't worry. There's no way he'll be made a warrior before you. He went off to live with _Twolegs,_ for StarClan's sake."

"That's not what he says," Swiftpaw scowls, his claws unsheathing. "He says he's gonna be the best warrior in ThunderClan. He's always bragging about how his mentor is Clan deputy, how that means he'll be made a warrior faster." His eyes burn with fury, even though he's still looking at the ground. "It's not fair. He's a kittypet. He shouldn't be here in the first place."

He steals a glance up at Longtail, who, to his surprise, is looking down at him with a sympathetic gaze. Swiftpaw's eyes unknowingly travel up his face to the nick in his ear - the one that Fireheart had made just before joining the Clan.

"Hey, I know how it feels to have the center of attention stolen by a kittypet," he says, "and it's not fun at all. But you work hard every single day to become a warrior - much harder than that mouse-brained Cloudpaw. You just have to keep doing that, and every cat will see how determined you are."

His mentor's words take away some of his doubts, but there's still a nagging feeling inside that bothers him. Without thinking, he asks, "Do you really think I'm ready?"

Longtail looks surprised, as if he had just asked him about the difference between a mouse and a blackbird. Then, he laughs, batting one of Swiftpaw's ears. "Don't be silly. Of _course_ you're ready."

Swiftpaw can't help but smile back, and while his mentor is caught off-guard, he tackles him to the ground, pinning him into the dirt. Surprised, Longtail throws him off, his back arched in a fighting stance.

"There we go!" he praises, his tail lashing. "See? With tactics like that, you could even fool a dog!"

Swiftpaw bristles proudly, but doesn't let his guard down. Longtail lunges at him, and he dodges, but his mentor is quicker, and within seconds the older warrior is pinning him to the ground. Swiftpaw doesn't let up, swiping his hind paws along his mentor's stomach with his claws slightly unsheathed. Longtail gasps and rears back, giving the apprentice an opening. Reaching out a front paw, Swiftpaw drags it across his mentor's throat, pretending to slash at his neck.

"Ha!" he cries, triumph surging through his veins. "How do you like that?"

Longtail, moving to properly stand up, nods approvingly, pride shining in his blue eyes. "That was a good move!" he says, a rare warmth creeping into his voice. "Your mother was right to give you that name - speed and quick thinking are great advantages to have in battle."

Swiftpaw puffs out his chest, obviously pleased with himself. But the feeling is short-lived, as Longtail continues, "But realize that someday you might fight an opponent who is faster than you, Swiftpaw. What will you do then?"

Swiftpaw hesitates, thinking it over. Longtail is right - he's always right - but he doesn't let it get to him too much. "I'll just have to find some other way to deal with them," he responds simply. "Every enemy can be defeated somehow, right?"

Longtail shakes his head, but it's obvious that he's smiling a little. "You have a point there, but we'll discuss it during the next training session. Why don't you go hunt for a little while, and then we can eat together?"

Swiftpaw nods excitedly, his belly rumbling. He had been so caught up in training that he had forgotten how hungry he was.

So, opening his mouth to detect the rich scents of prey all around him, Swiftpaw trots off into the forest, his carefree mood restored once again.

* * *

The dog-scent is all around him; powerful, overwhelming, so intense that he could barely breathe, but he has to keep going. Behind him, Brightpaw hesitates, all her senses alert for an attack.

"Swiftpaw," she breaths, more terrified than he had ever heard her, "we need to run, _now._ We aren't dealing with another cat."

"I know," he whispers back, "but please, please, just believe in this, okay? We're ready now. We've always been ready."

As soon as the words leave him, a low growl sounds within the caves, and he raises his tail for silence. Then, after what feels like moons, a blur of black and brown shoots out of one of the nearby caverns, and Swiftpaw turns to face it with the courage of a warrior.

It's unlike anything he's ever seen before - huge, with strong muscles bristling beneath its pelt, teeth and claws as sharp as thorns, but he doesn't back down, even though every part of him is screaming to run away. Instead, he charges, sinking his teeth into the dog's leg with all the ferocity he can muster.

The dog barely flinches, throwing him off with a jerk of its leg. Around him, he can feel the eyes of the pack watching him, licking their lips. Brightpaw rushes to his side with urgent cries of "Swiftpaw, Swiftpaw! Are you okay?", but he ignores her. This time, the dogs move before he does, and the pack pounces as one, swallowing them into an abyss of dark fur.

Swiftpaw can barely see, barely move, barely hear anything except the howls and barks of the dogs as one of them sinks its jaws into his throat. He screams, or at least he tries to, but the sound is mangled by the blood spilling out of his neck. Like a piece of prey, he feels himself being lifted into the air and shaken around violently, and his head is too clouded with dazed thoughts to register the crack that sounds when the creature throws him into a nearby rock.

By now, he can hear more of Brightpaw's cries, and that motivates him to stand up, despite the searing pain in his neck and back. He lunges again at the dog, only to be pinned down by its massive paws, and before he knows it he's staring right into its big, dark eyes, eyes gleaming with hatred and hunger.

Swiftpaw does the only thing he can think to do. Unsheathing his hind claws, he rakes them across the dog's underbelly, memories of his training sessions with Longtail flooding through his mind.

It doesn't work.

For the first time, fear courses through Swiftpaw's veins, and it isn't long before _he_ feels the sharp sting of claws against his own stomach, tearing him up and causing his mouth to open wide in a silent scream.

By now, the sounds around him have started to fade, and he can hardly register the shout of rage from what could only be Brightpaw lunging at the dog's head. The world around him is growing fuzzy, and even though Brightpaw is whispering, "Swiftpaw, can you hear me? Please don't die, Swiftpaw, please please," he doesn't understand a word. The only thing he can understand is the one clear thought swirling around in his head as his little chest rises and falls, gradually getting slower and slower until it stops completely.

_I'm not ready._

**Author's Note:**

> me, sick in bed with a stomach virus watching warrior cats amvs: this seems like a good idea


End file.
